Jun

Wait, Wait, Will Abuse Exonerate Me?

Remember that husband-and-wife pair who stole almost $200,000 from Columbia? John Bzdil, former manager of the Pediatric Neurosciences Department, and his wife Heather Rinehart were accused of defrauding Columbia out of thousands with fake bills. Well, those who thought this Bonnie-and-Clyde story would not get any better did not anticipate a good ol’ slice of Law and Order: SVU suddenly showing up.

According to the Daily News (via Gothamist), the husband has pled guilty, but now claims “he bilked $180,000 from the Ivy League school to punish officials who brushed off complaints that a male boss was regularly groping him.” “Subconsciously,” he told the judge, “I was trying to make them pay attention to my situation and protect me from [him]. I felt deep shame for what he was doing to me and my inability to make him stop.” The accused, then-finance director Cesar Rodriguez, has denied the allegations. Regardlesss, Bzdil faces 21-27 months in prison.

Also, the case is no longer a couples affair: charges against Rinehart were dropped after Bzdil said she had nothing to do with the theft. Now, Rinehart is filing for divorce; we wonder why…